Autism and Merlin RAP

[Perzival]

I think it's fair to say that the amount of people diagnosed with autism has increased by a huge amount compared to the amount of people who were diagnosed with the separate conditions prior to the change in the diagnostic manuals and people with a dx can vary between being a doctor and having a family, mortgage, social life etc to requiring 2:1 24 hour support with very limited communication.

This week Merlin that own Alton Towers, Thorpe park, Chessington and Legoland have decided to not give their ride access pass to people who struggle in crowds. This has caused uproar within the Merlin/ theme park groups as the majority of people who have this struggle have autism.

For those who aren't aware, in order to get a Ride Access Pass (RAP) you have to give evidence of your disabilities to a company called Nimbus who then decide what type of issues you have and give you a card with various icons on that you can them submit to venues for reasonable adjustments.

Throw in the commentary around the SEND white paper and the government review into why so many people are being diagnosed and i'm wondering if this is a more general move and one which is becoming more acceptable.

As the diagnosis has gone from previously representing mainly boy/ men with quite complex needs to representing a vast array of differring presentations and with an ever increasing amount of people being diagnosed, aibu to think that this is just the start and more venues/ places will limit or remove reasonable adjustments for this group of people?

AIBU= No, there isn't a push back against the autism diagnosis and adjustments made for the dx

AINBU= yes, more venues will start to remove or reduce adjustments for those with Autism

To avoid drip feeding I have a ds with profound autism and would imagine he will likely always get various reasonable adjustments (still gets RAP) etc.

He liked the little countries and the big Lego models around the place. At that time, he liked anything Star Wars, especially if it was Lego.

They haven’t paid the same as generally one carer goes free for each disabled person. So 2 seats taken in a ride for 1 ticket bought.

Merlin have to act as this is only going in one direction with more and more children and adults becoming eligible for RAP passes.

They’ve created a very undesirable two tier system where one group - the disabled - pay half as much per person and get to go on more rides and enjoy more shows; and another group - the non disabled - pay twice as much and have a far poorer experience. It’s just not a viable business choice to continue operating this way.

Yes it’s the focus on making money that’s so grating.

When actually if they ran the parks differently they could be fun for everyone and a good day out.

Even with the RAP, the crowdedness of the parks when you’re just moving from place to place is uncomfortable at peak times. And forget finding a bench to sit down to eat a picnic.

Who wants a day out queuing?

I’ll probably end up doing my usual of going on inset days, getting there early when it’s less busy and probably will end up paying for passes just to make it doable. So they will get what they wanted!

I have one autistic child that can queue and one that really can't. Surely Nimbus should be able to differentiate. I would assume most adults that have adhd or autism can queue fine, but those who can't should have adjustments to be able to access places. Merlin doesn't make much sense with the new rules though. I can queue just fine, but have the toilet symbol for a physical disability. So my child who can't queue won't get the pass and I who can queue will.

You don't get to queue jump as such - you just turn up to the front at the allocated time, which will be calculated on whatever the queue time for the big rides is. So, if everyone is queuing for an hour, you can go and do something else, but you can't ride another big ride for an hour.

I accept that it's a nice perk to not have to wait in line for the hour, but you don't get to do loads more rides.

I agree. I developed a fear of crowds in my 20s (thankfully now gone) but spent years actively avoiding situations where I wouldn’t feel safe.

Plus if everyone has a RAP then nobody has a RAP.

A business? Focusing on making money?

Merlin theme parks aren’t some kind of human right or charitable activity. They exist to make money and if they can’t make money, they will close. If you don’t like their business model, you don’t have to engage with it

I had a similar experience

Kind of

Basically in 2007 at a festival I was crushed by and left unconscious by a crowd surfer...came round on the first aid tent being told not to move cos I could be paralysed or die 🫠 and since then crowds very much trigger horrific panic attacks. So understandbly I did stop going to festivals. After about 15 years I did get the courage to try again but it was a complete and utter disaster so that's my festival days done with.

However

I still enjoy live music. So I still when I can, like to go to gigs. Now I've kind of made my own system where I know where to stand (towards the front but at the side so can immediately exit)-and whilst not foolproof (I've still had a panic attack at every gig) it enables me to still go, and whilst I've not personally used the disability system I feel being able to stand on the platform out of the crowd would be a reasonable adjustment to make it easier.

And I understand you're going to say "well if you don't like crowds don't go anywhere crowded"...but isn't that a little bit like...giving up? As in rather than find ways to adapt or adjust things so you CAN do them you just decide nah...no more life for me! I find that that a little bit depressing to think of it that way. 😔 If something gives you joy should you not be allowed to do it cos you're disabled?

I think it’s a shame for the families who really need it, and there are a lot. But equally not every Autistic/ADHD/Neurodiverse person actually needs a ride access pass - but of course they got one because of their diagnosis. Also not blaming them, but I really feel for the families that won’t be able to enjoy Merlin parks any more.

My child has quite extreme ADHD. He cannot queue for long periods of time, because of impulse control and hyperactivity. He does not mind crowds. Which si why the symbol was 'couldn't queue' originally. I'm annoyed if this has been changed by nimbus without any communication to us. It's a totally pointless card (that we have paid for) if it does not reflect his queuing issues. As he is only 7, Nimbus do not offer a +1 option because he would not be at these venues without a parent anyway.

My child is 6 and has the +1 symbol.

More generally though, I'm guessing that if evidence is provided of specific difficulty standing in a queue to wait is provided, then the standing criteria should be awarded. Obviously it's a faff, and there are no guarantees but just be with a go.

To answer the question a out why so many people with disabilities have annual passes, take my daughter for example. Hers is a physical disability which causes (amongst other things) fatigue. We can only stay a half day, which make day tickets very expensive, and she gets to see very little. So we go less places, but with a season ticket (or one of those 'return for a year' tickets), so we can go multiple times. So we have a theme park one, but we wouldn't just go to other theme parks just for the day as it's too expensive for 3 hours.

I feel like there needs to me much more detail and granularity on how ND affects people when offering accommodations.

I'm ND, with ND children. Things can be mildly difficult in some ways, severely in others.

I hate crowds, and though I know many other people probably don't mind crowds as much as me, I'd never ask for a pass. No one loves crowds. We just put ear defenders on the kids and it's always been fine. You don't ever have to be in thick crowds for too long in Legoland in my experience.

Equally this wouldn't work for many autistic people. So it's a shame there is a blanket removal.

The diagnosis feels so vague and patchy. More research and categorisation would help (though I do love categorisation...😁)

Virtual queue

What I meant re giving it to everyone is that all queues could be virtual - it might be just that I really really hate queuing myself but it seems like a better way.

I also find it hard to stand on the spot (can walk long distances but just still standing is an issue) but I suspect not in a way that qualifies for any kind of pass.

I’ll just end up paying now I think. We don’t even go that often - once every couple of years maybe.

My son has profound needs. He is very sensory seeking and the sensory feedback he gets from theme park rides is not something I can replicated anywhere else.

I am really disappointed in Merlin, but not surprised. I think to be honest the access card is not remotely fit for purpose. It classifies all people with autism as needing the same accommodations and it’s just not the case. I am autistic. I might miss social cues, and occasionally talk too much about Ancient Egypt. My DS is autistic. He is non-verbal, has profound learning difficulties and requires 24/7 supervision. Our autism is not remotely the same. I think all RAP should be removed for everything unless there is evidence of significant need like DLA/PIP or a blue badge.

My DD is impacted by developmental trauma, and is autistic. There are times she can queue without difficulty and others when she really, really doesn’t cope. Those times are unpredictable, because something will trigger her (in the truest sense of the word) and she often doesn’t know what that is because those triggers lie in her subconscious. She could be fine in a queue waiting to go into a theatre, and have a meltdown waiting to get on a bus.

It means she can feel perfectly safe one minute and absolutely terrified the next, when she needs to physically get out of the place she is in. That is almost impossible in the middle of a long queue for a rollercoaster.

The neurological impact of early trauma means she needs sensory input, and rollercoasters are fantastic for that. No she doesn’t “have a right” to go to theme parks, and such trips are a very occasional treat not least because we’re in the wrong part of the uk, but it means there is a day out that she will absolutely love and get benefit from. Life is tricky for her to say the least and I’d love to just teach her to wait in a queue but oddly enough her autonomic nervous system is a stubborn bugger that just won’t be taught.

So much of parenting traumatised kids is trying to predict what might trigger a trauma response and putting things in place to support your child ahead of time. Because flashbacks, panic and fear are unpleasant for the child and awful to witness. An episode can have get off kilter for weeks at a time. But it can be important to expose her to stressors in a controlled way because otherwise she’ll never be desensitised enough, or exposed enough to learn how to cope with being triggered.

So we do a dance of careful planning, thinking about contingency plans, having strategies to manage if she is triggered, and ultimately being able to leave at a moments notice if need be. Being able to access a shorter queue or turn up at an allocated time (as with the Merlin pass) makes that process so much easier.

I am not suprised in the slightest. To many people abused it, the qeues were almost as long as the normal qeues and I say this as a family of all ND people. I think those learning disabilities should still be allowed the access passes though!

Dd is autistic but would have no problem waiting her turn with everyone else. DN would definitely not cope. It is beyond infuriating how people have abused the concessions that were given to autistic people so now life is even harder for those who genuinely struggle. Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should. Dd applying for a pass would be immoral.

Theme parks are not a right, they are a private business.

This will have been a business decision, maybe numbers were down because the NT are fed up of horrendous queues?
Queues that are made longer by so many people using passes.

As usual when something gets abused, it's the genuinely needy that suffer.

In an ideal world, everyone would be accommodated. In the real world, if it causes you/your kids to have a hard time, maybe you should consider other activities?
The world doesn't owe you rollercoasters.

I do agree with why Merlin have done this. My daughter has noticed how long the rap queues have got now. But I don't agree with you saying that the NT people are fed up with horrendous queues. Now rap has gone for Nd people,the normal queues will be even worse now.

No one is owed a rollercoaster, but so many activities are simply not available to kids with disabilities. I’ve tried every type of class or group for my DD and none have been able to accommodate her needs despite real effort on their part. No one owes her a rollercoaster but it’s a part of mainstream life that she can participate in with a minimal adjustment. Besides which her brother also should be able to access activities open to every other child.

Or maybe we should shut our kids away lest anyone be inconvenienced by their presence.

Thing is there are so many people with various fast passes it makes them pointless after a while. And the poor sods who can’t afford to pay for the fast passes barely get to go on anything due to everyone having priority over them.

Also, friend of mine has these for her 2 kids claiming they can’t do crowds. They can and do when it suits which is every other occasion, and I know this because she told me she’s blagging it and also from taking her kids out myself many times.